Running with Rainbows

Yes, I know this title is horribly corny. But I refuse to apologize. Today I discovered this amazing new website, Map My Run, and I decided that I would go for a run today around the Mall and some of the monuments. It was actually a nice run but I got worried once it started to rain. It seemed weird to me that it would be raining though because it was still so sunny outside. I turned to look behind me to see if there were storm clouds and instead I saw 3 rainbows arched across the sky, stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. It was AMAZING.

Then I got lost and ran for a bit along the Potomac and just enjoyed the day. After the rain it got really cool and so the rest of my run was really relaxing. I think I forget about how much I like to be outdoors until I actually push myself to do it and then I always wonder why I don't go out more. But now with this website I might try to run more often since I can map things out and then keep a record of them online.

Yesterday I met up with my friend Julia S. from Drew and her friend Lauren and we went to this Spanish restaurant in Chinatown. The food was really good (tapas!) but extremely tiny and so, unsatisfied, we headed over to Starbucks for coffee cake. I wish I would have remembered to bring my partner card though so I could have gotten free coffee. But since I have only been working at Starbucks for 2 days and technically don't have a partner number I don't know if it would have worked. Did anyone know that the name Starbucks came from the name of the first mate in Moby Dick (Starbuck)? And actually the "mermaid" is a Siren. Oh the random things you learn in Barista training.

As for my internship, I am actually starting to enjoy it tremendously. It's not something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life but now that I am starting to understand how all of this stuff can impact the University I am getting more into it. Plus, I've been given more responsibility and today Mike looked over my notes and said I did a great job which made me happy.

The bible study here is going well. We have a few people who are thinking of joining because they have some questions which is really exciting. The theology class is...going. I think that it's too much for me to wrap my head around sometimes but I really want to understand what different groups of Christians believe and what all the arguments are out there. I suppose though, in the end, what is really important to keep in mind is that "There is one body and one Spirit, [...] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. " (Ephesians 4:4-6).


Side Note: Today I Stumble Upon!-ed the now abandoned Washingtonienne blog and thought about actually purchasing the book. Is it sad that I care more about some Staff Assistant's exploits with congressman than Scott McClellan's latest tell-all on the Bush Administration?

My First B

I went to Wolverine Access today to check my grades and I finally made my first B. Well, if you want to get technical, it was a B+. But still, I was a little sad. Although I can't say I wasn't expecting it, since it was in French and I have been struggling in that class this semester. Everything else came out alright and I am still waiting to find out the outcome in History.

I really miss school, and I have only been home for 3 days, which is quite sad if you think about it. But in Ann Arbor I feel like I finally had a rhythm, a routine, something that has been lacking my life for some time now. I knew what was going on each day of the week, I knew where to find people if I wanted to hang out, I knew that no matter what time of the day it was, if I was hungry there was probably somewhere open and someone who would want to go (usually Alex). It's not that I don't like being around my family, its just that everything is different now and so I am forced to come up with a new routine and like most other people, I am a creature of habit and this is difficult for me.

I realized today how the late-night Wendy's and Pizza House have been taking a toll on my overall fitness. I went running today with my brother in Bowie Nature Park and I barely made it 1.5 miles before I started walking. Granted, it was 90 degrees and mostly uphill, but still, I was able to run the perimeter trail (4.8 miles) in February and now I can barely make it to the halfway point. I think I am going to dedicate the next few weeks to conquering that trail (and my burgeoning waistline).

Other than that I haven't been doing a whole lot except reading. I think I finally understand what Alex was talking to me about the other day of having a higher concept. Now I just need to come up with a good one. I think my gay-pride parade story might be a good one to start with but it still needs some work. With any luck, the A I made in 223 and a good short story could get me into the Advanced Creative Writing class with Peter Ho Davies. Although, then I would have to convince my mother into paying for my stay for an extra year....